Biography

Born: June 16, 1978

I grew up in Boalsburg, a small town located in central Pennsylvania. Mountains and grass and places that let me explore surrounded my life, and the stories that I bear in mind have greatly informed my work. To me, remembering has always been of essential importance. One of my first memories takes me back to a young age, where I experienced open-heart surgery. This event led me to think about life from a unique point of view. I wondered about my physical nature, and became fascinated with the very idea of just being alive.

I studied painting at Penn State University, working autobiographically, and dealing with issues relating to the human condition. I told stories through painting the body. I soon became aware of the art of performance, and it was during this time that I began working with projection. In my first piece using this medium, I projected an old slide of myself onto my back and talked about my memories as a ten-year old, speaking simultaneously through my adult and child points of view. I graduated from Penn State in 2001 with a BFA in Painting. In 2002 I moved to New York for graduate school at Queens College, where I continued to paint and perform. Since receiving my MFA in 2004, I have remained in New York, living in Queens with my husband/technical partner, and working from my studio at home.